


Ichabod and Abbie's Continuing Adventures in: Raising a Child

by Cumberbatch Critter (ivelostmyspectacles)



Series: Ichabod and Abbie's Continuing Adventures [2]
Category: Sleepy Hollow (TV)
Genre: Babies, Baby Mills-Crane, Baby Vomit, Breastfeeding, Daddy Ichabod, F/M, Family, Family Feels, First Child, Insecurities, Mommy Abbie, Newborn Children, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Parent-Child Relationship, Parenthood, Raising a Child
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-19
Updated: 2015-06-21
Packaged: 2018-04-05 03:00:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,951
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4163121
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ivelostmyspectacles/pseuds/Cumberbatch%20Critter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>"Welcome to the family, Destiny."</i>
</p><p>
  <i>"Welcome to the family, little one."</i>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>It's no longer just a prospect, a small gleam of an idea for the future. It's happened; it's now. Ichabod and Abbie are no longer just Ichabod and Abbie; they're Ichabod and Abbie and Destiny Mills-Crane, it's their new life. New roles, new decisions, and new challenges to face.</p><p>They face it together, as always. As a family.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Our Duty for Our Destiny

**Author's Note:**

> Yo! You thought I forgot all about this, didn't you? I didn't, but my muse is shit lately. I was reading through some of my old SH fanfiction and have started rewatching the episodes, so I've got the urge for some tall, dark, and British and his favourite Lieutenant Mills and I got started on this! Updates may not be very regular, and I apologise in advance, but I figured I'd get the ball rolling!
> 
> As per the usual, I do not own _Sleepy Hollow_.

_"Welcome to the family... Destiny."_

_"Welcome to the family, little one."_

 

 

"Crane...?"

Abbie was exhausted and worn down and completely wishing for a vacation - and well aware that none of those things would change for some time - as she entered their spare room turned nursery. She had just had the acutely sickening feeling of waking up in the middle of the night to absolute silence. Every time that she had been jerked out of sleep the night prior had been to crying, and the silence had turned her blood cold. But, similarly, the blankets next to her had been empty and rumpled, with Crane nowhere to be found.

It had been no difficult leap to guess where Crane was, but Abbie was surprised that Destiny hadn't started to wail in hunger- but wait, was it really only three o' clock? She'd only been up two hours ago? Her sleeping pattern was completely thrown off, and every moment away from her daughter felt strange.

God, she was a mom. The thought made her stomach turn and her heart twist. It wasn't necessarily a bad feeling, but it was... _terrifying_ at the same time.

Ichabod spun around, his hair falling in limp waves around his face. "Miss Mills," he breathed. "Did we wake you?" His eyes flickered down to the bundle held expertly - perfectly, marvelously, like he was made for this when Abbie still felt awkward and unsure holding her - in his arms, to _their daughter_ , who was uncomprehending in her fast asleep state.

It wasn't that she didn't feel _wondrous_ holding her daughter. She did. From the first moment, it had felt just... _right_. But it did still feel strange. Awkward. The thought of _God, am I doing this right? Am I going to hurt her? What if she moves, what if she doesn't like, what if what if what if_ no. She had to deal with that. She was a new mom. Jumpy. Worried. In love. Wouldn't change it for the world.

But Ichabod just looked so at ease.

... Abbie was a little jealous.

Abbie shook her head. "No... What are you doing up?" She crossed the room unsteadily. Since returning from the hospital, things had been thrown haphazardly around. Abbie would pick everything up. Eventually.

"She was awake," Ichabod said softly. His eyes never left Destiny. "I heard her on the, ah, monitor."

"Was she crying?"

"No. Merely awake," Ichabod replied. "I hastened here to check on her and couldn't bring myself to part."

Abbie smiled sleepily. She was already too tired and it was only their third day home. But when she looked closer at Ichabod's features under the soft glow of the sea life patterned lamp, she realised with startled clarity just how tired he looked, too.

She reached up to brush the pad of her thumb against the shadows under his eyes.

"Lieutenant?"

"You look exhausted," Abbie muttered, brushing a strand of his hair behind his ear.

Ichabod raised an eyebrow. "Is that not our burden?" He looked back at Destiny. "Our beautiful burden..." He looked up. "And I was hoping to allow you to sleep while you could." He looked back at their daughter again.

"You need to sleep." Like she was the best advocate for that right now.

Ichabod smiled without looking up. "I'm fine."

But Abbie had seen him run ragged from cases and chases and days spent experiencing new 21st century things and the exhaustion layered in his face went deeper. Like her, Ichabod probably rarely had a restful night's sleep in the past few months. She wasn't the only one who was a parent now. He was, too.

And besides, _he'd_ been the one to listen to her bitching and moaning those last few months of pregnancy. And making grocery runs for cottage cheese and pineapple. And took care of the freaky Witness work when she couldn't.

Abbie touched his arm gently, drawing his wondering gaze away from that of their daughter. "Go sleep," she said softly.

"Really, Lieutenant, I'm fine."

"Ichabod."

He sighed quietly. "I can't."

Abbie frowned. "Why? What's wrong?"

"Nothing, it's merely-" Ichabod froze as Destiny shifted in his arms. She didn't wake up, however, and they both let out a breath of relief seconds later. "A moment," Ichabod continued, and gently returned Destiny to her bassinet. His thumb passed against her tiny soft cheek, and Abbie smiled as she watched him interact with their daughter. But then he straightened up and gestured to the door. "Let us continue this conversation elsewhere."

Abbie led the way into the hallway, half drunk with wanting nothing more than to go crawl back into bed and _sleep_ but the worry for Crane eating at her consciousness. She hoped that there was nothing seriously wrong. Not now. "What's going on?"

"Nothing, Miss Mills." He closed the nursery door gently behind him. "It's nothing of the sort. Only..."

"Only?"

Ichabod leaned against the door frame, looking abashed in the half light of their house at three in the morning. "The thought of retiring my post and leaving our daughter defenceless... It's a most unbecoming prospect."

Abbie blinked. It was that simple? But, of course. Of course Crane would come up with something like that. He was Crane. He was... he was too good for this century, Abbie had thought it before. Too good for this world, too good for her, and yet...

"You can't stay awake forever, Crane."

Ichabod laughed quietly. Wryly. "Of that I am all too aware, Miss Mills. ... Abbie."

Abbie glanced up at the use of her name. The emotion in Ichabod's eyes was strong and deep; it was indescribable, and yet, she knew the reason behind it immediately. She didn't know how; she just did. "It's not the same as Henry," she said softly, reaching for his hands. "It's not going to be the same."

Ichabod clasped at her fingers tightly. "I understand that, and yet..."

"You are already an amazing dad," Abbie replied, "and we are not going to let anything happen to her. We're both here for her. Right?"

"Yes." Ichabod inhaled sharply. "Yes, of course."

"Faith."

"Always," Ichabod vowed, leaning over to kiss the top of her head. He straightened up, and smiled at her winningly. "And now, my love, you should return to your slumber while you have a chance."

"You, too," Abbie said sternly. She'd drag him if she had to. His loyalty and protectiveness was a beautiful thing, but they were both useless if they didn't take care of themselves. Tough thing to do. She got it. She didn't want to leave her daughter alone, either. Weird feeling. But it was there, and it was strong. It was... maternal, she supposed, and Crane was being paternal. It was natural, it was... hell, Abbie couldn't describe it. She couldn't describe anything regarding the way she felt right now. But it was good. It was good.

But on some base level of her instincts, she knew that they had to take care of themselves, too. _Had_ to. Had to because they had to take care of Destiny. She had no one else. Only them.

Ichabod cast one last, long look at the closed nursery door. Turned back to her. Nodded. "Yes, Lieutenant."

Abbie tightened her grip around his fingers and smiled, sleepily leading (half-dragging) him back to the bedroom.


	2. Becoming a Natural

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Abbie's quickly becoming a natural at this baby thing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well okay, after such a long hiatus between stories, I'm sure on top of the second chapter. It's the weekend, I suppose; late night is my writing time! Enjoy this; they always won't be updated so quickly ;p

"We didn't have such a thing when we were rearing children in my day."

"You didn't have a lot of things your day."

"That doesn't change the fact that it's absolutely preposterous-"

"Crane, stop flipping that nipple and bring me that cloth!"

Ichabod jumped, fingers fumbling the bottle that he was holding back into the drying rack. "Right, of course. Forgive me." He swept the burp cloth from the top of the countertop and strode across the kitchen, setting it down on the table. "I was needlessly distracted."

Abbie couldn't help but roll her eyes. Somehow, the man who had gone shopping for everything baby months before Destiny had been born could still be vexed by something as simple as the nipple on a baby bottle.

"It seems an odd practice, formulating silicone molds of a woman's-"

"God forbid you're about to say the word ‘nipple’ in front of me, Crane," Abbie teased.

Ichabod sat in the chair opposite, fixing her with an intense glance. "I was not," he said sharply. He paused, and then "I was going to say ‘teat’".

Abbie laughed dryly. "I'm not a cow, I'm a human being."

"No, I-" Ichabod raised his chin as Abbie continued to laugh. "You shouldn't jest, Lieutenant."

"Why not?" she said absently, grinning up at him. "Coming from the man who still can't say ‘buns’." And looked like he was having an apopletic fit every time someone said the word around him.

Ichabod only huffed in reply. Evidently, he didn't have a good enough come back to that argument.

"Yeah, I think she's done here." Abbie was still getting the hang of breastfeeding. There had been things that had said _your baby will let you know when she's finished with her meal!_. Nope. Abbie knew Destiny was finished when she fell asleep, most of the time. The pauses would get longer and longer, with only a suck here or there, and she knew that she was dropping off more than feeding.

She draped the cloth over her shoulder and gently lifted Destiny from her breast, expertly popping her shirt back into place before Ichabod could declare impropriety - yes, he'd done that twice when Abbie apparently hadn't ‘situated herself in a proper manner quickly enough, there are windows in our home, Miss Mills!’, like she was breastfeeding in front of a jumbotron, for goodness sake - and began to pat her daughter's back lightly.

"You are quickly becoming a natural at this, Lieutenant." Ichabod was watching her with no small amount of fondness in his eyes, elbows propped on the table. "Meanwhile, I feel like I'm left floundering in the dust."

Abbie raised her eyebrows. "Are you kidding me? You're the one who seems like you're a total shoe-in. I don't know what I'm doing, I just do what I think feels right."

"Poppycock," Ichabod replied softly, watching Abbie with keen attention to her attempts at burping Destiny. It made Abbie a little uncomfortable, not in a bad way, not in a good way. Just embarrassed. She was just burping her; it didn't require that much attention. How was it he could still fluster her, after he'd watched her push a baby out through her vagina not a week ago?

Destiny followed through with the burp; Ichabod's face lit up like the night before Christmas and-

"Oh".

That was how. All he had to do was smile.

Ugh, _no_ , she was still so overly sentimental, Destiny doing the tiniest things could make her nearly break into tears, Ichabod's reactions to the world around him and their new daughter could not - could _not_ \- start making Abbie emotional, too-

If she was a natural at this, then she was also - already - a natural in baby vomit.

They both froze up as the baby burp was followed by vomit. It was almost comical, _almost_ , the way Ichabod shut off his glee from moments prior. Almost worth it. Not quite. But, silver linings. And burp cloths.

"Shall I take her?" Ichabod started hesitantly, rising from the chair.

Abbie sighed. "Just leave the dirty work to me, right."

"I'll burp her next time," Ichabod vowed with intent determination, expertly folding their tiny daughter into his arms. "I swear it."

She couldn't do anything about laugh about it, laugh or cry, so she just chuckled dryly as she swept her hair over her opposite shoulder.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story makes me so happy. Ichabod and Abbie and children make me happy. Fictional character make me happy. 
> 
> Having toddlers running around my house (like now), not so much. =.= Having adults coming into my bedroom and mashing on my keyboard while I'm working just pisses me off. Ah. Well. All I can do. Is laugh. Right? x'D /siiiiigh
> 
> Anyway, stay tuned!

**Author's Note:**

> **If you've read the first instalment of this series, you know the drill! Ideas are my bread and butter, and if it were not for everyone's prompts, there wouldn't have been an Ichabbie pregnancy fic by me to begin with. So, if you've got ideas again-**
> 
> **Let me know! Seriously, you guys made the first fic what it was, and I hope you all continue to support me (and Ichabod and Abbie and Destiny) in this adventure as well! Thank you!  
> **


End file.
